Tabla de contenidos para July-August-September 2021 en Dance Australia

DANIEL Riley has been appointed the new artistic director of Australian Dance Theatre. Riley, a Wiradjuri man with cultural ties throughout western NSW, established himself as an outstanding dancer as soon as he joined Bangarra Dance Theatre at age 21. During his dance career he has choreographed more than 15 works for companies in Australia as well as overseas. He has been in Melbourne since 2019, working with Ilbijerri Theatre Company, Chunky Move, and as an in demand independent artist and collaborator. He is presently a lecturer in contemporary dance at the Victorian College of Arts. He steps into the shoes of outgoing Artistic Director, Garry Stewart. See Maggie Tonkin’s interview with Stewart on p.33.…

• Dayana and her partner, Juan Carlos Osma, first met when they were students in Cuba at the National Ballet School and ended up at the Joburg Ballet together. They moved to the Liaoning Ballet together before coming to Perth. Juan Carlos is currently a Soloist with the WA Ballet. • In their spare time, Dayana and Juan Carlos enjoy photography, painting and playing the piano and bass guitar. • Dayana has a brother who is a musician. He is currently a trombone player in the symphony orchestra in her hometown of Santiago de Cuba. • In true sibling rivalry, Dayana jokes that her brother’s musician lifestyle is far easier than her life as a ballerina: “I always say to him ‘you are so lucky, you have no problems! You…

XANTHE was joined by four professional dancers – selected through a call-out through ‘Dance Australia’ – William John Banks, Brittany Duwner, Nicole Corea and Josh Freedman. The rehearsal was observed, by special arrangement, by six work experience students from the Tanya Pearson Academy. Over the week of June 7-11, the dancers created a piece which will be shown at The Australian Ballet’s Bodytorque Up Late, scheduled for the end of the year. Enjoy Xanthe’s account of the experience here. I had applied for The Australian Ballet’s Emerging Female Classical Choreographer Award well over a year ago, before “lockdown” became a familiar concept. My application was lodged with no solid expectations, but the initiative appealed to me as a unique opportunity. During the middle of the first lockdown, I received the…

THE importance of musical intelligence can sometimes be overlooked in the drive for technical accomplishment, and yet it is an essential component of a dancer’s toolkit. Musicality is a “sensitivity to, knowledge of, or talent for music” (according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary). Another definition, specific to dance, is “the ability of a dancer to become one with the music”. So just what does it mean to be a musical dancer? Archibald McKenzie is the Principal of Alegria Dance Studios in Sydney and an accomplished classical and contemporary pianist and accompanist. “Music is a universal element in all dancing,” he states. “Even in the rare cases where there are no instruments or voices involved, there is almost always a rhythmic element to the choreographic performance. “Being able to interact precisely, intelligently…

• Be mindful about making comparisons to other dancers • Make realistic short-, mid- and long-term goals and reassess these at regular intervals • Keep a journal and notice any patterns or triggers so you can prepare yourself in advance. • Be open to new ideas, new styles of dance and to changing directions • Make sure you are eating and sleeping well • Keep your social network as broad as you can to maintain healthy perspective and have some fun • Speak up and seek help and advice from teachers, mentors and allied health professionals whenever needed…

Studied: Annette Roselli Dance Academy Presently: Pre-Professional Program Queensland Ballet What is your best memory of your full-time dance studies? My best memory is related to the time I spent in the studio working with the highly knowledgeable and experienced teaching staff. The teachers were all very supportive and encouraging and always had my best interests at heart, yet at the same time they were realistic about the challenges of a dance career. This really helped to prepare me and to set my expectations for what a career in dance would be like. I also enjoyed hearing stories from the teachers about their own experiences in their professional careers – such as audition experiences, stage and performance highlights and life in a professional ballet company. A main life-lesson? Being a…

Studied: National College of Dance (Newcastle) Presently: Artist at Ballet Dortmund, Germany With fewer than usual opportunities at present, have you found other outlets for your talents? I haven’t performed on stage for over a year, partly due to an injury but mainly because of the pandemic. Not having that outlet has been an interesting change of pace but thankfully it’s resulted in some other opportunities, like being a part of my first dance film project, which was a totally different but a similarly fulfilling experience. Other than that it has also given me time to delve into other interests, to read and to create in different mediums. But I’m very much looking forward to getting back on stage. Did your original career aim change from when you started to…

WE have a problem. There are not enough male dancers, particularly ballet dancers. While the numbers have upped and downed over the years, little has changed: the number of boys taking up ballet remains very small. In Australia, it is possibly getting smaller. Males have the same impulse to move to music as females – little boys still love to dance around the loungeroom just like their sisters.” The anecdotal evidence is that even our elite schools are finding it harder than ever to attract boys. The 12-14-year-old Boy’s Dance Championship at the Sydney Eisteddfod has been discontinued because of “insufficient entries”. At a professional level things are similar. For example, the West Australian Ballet’s three male soloists are all from Cuba. Why? “Because I couldn’t find them here,” artistic…

“Cuba has produced some of the best ballet dancers of the 21st century and Dayana is a pure example of their ballet technique, and their unique way of expressing emotion through dance,” says WAB’s Artistic Director, Aurelien Scannella. “She is not only naturally talented, ballet means everything to her, which makes a real difference to her performances. “Dayana joined WAB in 2019 as a Soloist and was promoted as Principal Dancer the same year after her last performance of Giselle. Dayana also danced the leading roles in ALICE (in wonderland), The Nutcracker, La Bayadère, Don Quixote Grand Pas de Deux and Le Corsaire Grand Pas de deux. Her natural contemporary movement has impressed Perth audiences, as has her choreographic talent. Dayana is an accomplished artist, ambassador and advocate for diversity…

The EFCC is a collaboration with the Sydney Opera House and The Australian Ballet. The initiative creates a unique opportunity for an up-and-coming female choreographer to take up an artistic residency at Sydney Opera House and create a work for The Australian Ballet’s "bodytorque" program. The 2020 recipient, Xanthe Geeves, was chosen by a panel of judges consisting of Natalie Weir (the former artistic director of Expressions Dance Company and former resident choreographer of The Australian Ballet), The Australian Ballet’s artistic associate and principal coach, Fiona Tonkin; the head of Contemporary Performance at Sydney Opera House, Olivia Ansell; ‘Dance Australia’ magazine editor Karen van Ulzen and ‘Dance Australia’ critic Margaret Mercer (WA).…

Want to become more musical? There are things that both dancers and teachers can do: • Change the dial on your radio or create a new playlist of music from different genres – to appreciate and understand it you need to hear it. • Attend live performances of music of all genres. McKenzie says, “Musicality in young students often requires the experiences of live music.” • Be curious – if you enjoy a piece of music, find out the name of it and research it. Who was the composer? When was it written? Does it belong to a particular musical movement (e.g. Baroque or Romantic period)? Is it part of a larger piece of work? What are other pieces of music by the same composer? • Learn an instrument –…

WHICH makes 2022 even more enticing. With vaccinations gradually rolling out, we can look forward to next year with hope. You can almost feel the pent-up energy of the next generation of dancers all bursting to get on with their studies uninterrupted. If you are one of those dancers just yearning to seize the day and fulfil their potential, this guide is for you. See our list of top schools, read the experiences of recent dance graduates, and enjoy our article by Emma Sandall on maintaining your momentum as you progress through your course.…

What is your best memory of your full-time dance studies? My best memories have been after a performance or assessment. I love the excitement of finishing something that you have been working for, and that feeling of being so proud, of not only your own work, but the work of your peers. The feeling of accomplishment, when you have performed as a part of something bigger than yourself, is amazing. My favourite performances at English National Ballet School have been performing the Coppelia Act 1 Harvest Pas de deux, Giselle Act II, Sleeping Beauty snippets at The Dorchester, Baroque Fantasy (Juan Eymar), Newhaven (Hannah Cameron), Of Space and Time (Andrew McNicol) and rehearsing for English National Ballet’s My First Cinderella tour, which was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID19. What is the…

Studied: Adelaide College of the Arts Presently: Full time puppeteer in the touring production of ‘Bluey’s Big Play’ With fewer than usual auditions and performance opportunities at present, have you found other outlets for your talents or artistic expression? Last year, during my final year of study I was lucky enough to be offered a 10-month contract to perform as a puppeteer in the children’s theatre production titled Bluey’s Big Play. I began the creative process while completing my uni degree online and have now been touring Australia with the company, performing since November, 2020. Although I couldn’t have ever imagined myself performing as a puppeteer, signing this contract has allowed me to embark on a journey that has had an enormous impact on the way I think, perform and…

Studied: Queensland College of Dance; Sydney Dance Company Pre-Professional Year Presently: SDC Trainee in 2020 then a full company dancer. What is the main overall lesson you learnt? To approach each day and experience with a beginner’s mindset. This means keeping an open mind, dropping assumptions, remaining curious and present. Whether applied to a class, working with a choreographer, or just everyday life, I have found it’s a valuable concept to consider. What is your best memory of your full-time dance studies? A very valuable part of the SDC Pre-Professional year for me was getting to experience three different creation processes with established choreographers as well as learning Rafael Bonachela’s Lux Tenebris. It was exciting to bring each choreographers’ vision to life and as a result of the collaborative environment…

Studied: Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts; Presently: Oper Graz in Graz, Austria. What was one of the main life lessons you learnt through your full-time studies? Time management and discovering my boundaries when it comes to how much work I can sustain before feeling overloaded. I found that during full-time study, a lot of different people can expect a lot of different things at once. Having various assignments, exams and classes in the study environment, as well as expectations from our personal lives and work commitments, can create a very busy and overwhelming schedule. I learnt quickly that finding a way to complete tasks efficiently and arrange my time to maximise an organised, healthy lifestyle was very important and has helped me immensely in life outside of my studies.…

Studied: Youth Ballet WA, formally known as Charlesworth Ballet Institute. Presently: Student at WAAPA, Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance). What is your best memory of your full-time dance studies? My best memory would have to be the annual performances that were held by Youth Ballet, including an international gala that provided me with an opportunity to perform with students from around the world. Youth Ballet performances increased my confidence, knowledge and experience by performing in front of live audiences dancing lead roles such as The Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker, Kirti from Don Quixote and Medora from Le Corsaire. Attending Youth Ballet allowed me to not only work on improving my technique but also my artistry and performance quality due to the number of performances that I had the…

Studied: Tanya Pearson Classical Coaching Academy Presently: Corps de Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Germany Best memory of your full-time dance studies? There are so many! But one memory that comes to mind was when I was 15 years old. Tanya Pearson called me into the office to say that she would like me and a few other students to audition for the Prix de Lausanne. In that moment, regardless if I had been accepted to compete or not, it really solidified confidence in myself that I deserved to take up space in the dance world. Without her and the teachers at the academy, I’m not sure I would have ever pursued dance professionally. And now I can’t imagine my life without dance. It takes a lot of courage to pursue this…

CO3, Perth’s contemporary dance company, has secured significant financial support for its Commission Fund. Established in May, 2021, the Commission Fund directly supports Co3’s Pathways Program IN RESIDENCE, which provides a $50,000 choreographic commission to one mid-career WA artist for a mainstage work for the company’s annual artistic program. The Wright Burt Foundation has generously committed to supporting the Pathways Program with a contribution of $150,000 over three years. IN RESIDENCE is curated by Co3’s artistic director, Raewyn Hill, and is applied for by invitation only. However, it is part of the company’s larger Pathways Program, comprising IN HOUSE and IN STUDIO, for which artists can apply. IN STUDIO provides recipients with 100 hours of free studio space; IN RESIDENCE provides recipients with $2000 each plus 40 hours of free…

WHEN she first moved to Perth and joined the West Australian Ballet as a Soloist in 2019, Dayana Hardy Acuña was shy and concerned about whether she would fit in. “I thought that maybe my technique, my way to do my class, is different. I thought, ‘I have to fit in with the company’.” Indeed, having done little improvisation before coming to Australia, her premiere performance in “In-Synch: Ballet at the Quarry”, which involved improvised performances every night, was a new challenge for her. However, despite being a little shy, Dayana was determined to make her mark. “I thought ‘I can do this. I think this is my moment to show what I can do’.” And, undeniably, she did. Her improvised pas de deux with Soloist Juan Carlos Osma received…

‘Housedance’ performed on the outside of the main sail of the Sydney Opera House on New Year’s Eve, 1999. ‘Devolution’ (2006) – Helpmann Awards Best New Australian Work and Best Lighting. ‘Honour Bound’ (2006), based on the experiences of Terry and David Hicks. Winner, Best New Australian Work and Best Mainstream Production at the Sydney Theatre Awards. Directed by Nigel Jamieson. Performed Sydney and Melbourne, toured to the Vienna Festival (May, 2007), Holland Festival (Amsterdam - June, 2007), Barbican Theatre (London - November, 2007) and the New Zealand International Arts Festival (Wellington - March, 2008). ‘The Centre and its Opposite’, Birmingham Royal Ballet (2009).…

What is your best memory of your full-time dance studies? If I were to choose a memory that would last with me forever it would have to be performing my variations on the National Theatre’s home stage at the end of 2020 post-COVID lockdowns in Melbourne. Nothing can beat the appreciation I have for performing and dancing on a stage with the lights, hair and make up done, and wearing a gorgeous costume, most of which are made by my mother and her small business, Tutu Tout Le Monde, who puts so much love into making her tutus, even with a limited audience. I felt like myself again, a dancer, after spending the majority of the year training online for my Diploma in Dance alone in a small studio apartment…

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt? Before starting at AMPA, I had been away from the dance world for several years to take care of my mental and physical health. Coming back into an educational setting, I had a lot of fear and anxiety about how I would cope with the workload as well as whether I would have the mental and physical stamina required for undertaking a full-time dance course. During my studies two things became very clear to me. The first was that the simple act of showing up is half the battle. I realised that if I could commit to turning up with a willingness to learn and work hard, I was already halfway to achieving my goals of graduating and developing my artistry. Having a…